The invention relates to a plastics compatible detergent composition and to a method for cleaning plastics. In particular, the plastics compatible detergent composition is a detergent composition that can be used in a conventional warewashing machine.
Many articles manufactured from plastics require periodic cleaning. Many conventional detergent compositions include chemicals that cause stress cracks in plastics. Stress cracks are the cracks that result when the plastic is exposed to chemicals (usually organic) that facilitate the release of the built-in stress (or frozen-in stress) in the plastics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,815 to Man discloses a plasticware-compatible low-foaming rinse aid composition. The rinse aid composition includes an alkyl polyglycoside (APG) and a reverse polyoxyethylene-containing polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.
A plastics compatible detergent composition is provided by the invention. The plastics compatible detergent composition includes about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. % anionic surfactant; about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. % cationic surfactant; about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. % at least one of reverse polyoxyalkylene block copolymer surfactant, alcohol alkoxylate surfactant having polyoxypropylene and/or polyoxybutylene end groups, and mixtures thereof; about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. % alkylpolyglycoside surfactant; and about 0.01 wt. % to about 20 wt. % silicone surfactant.
A method for washing an article having a plastic surface is provided by the invention. The method includes a step of applying the detergent composition to the plastic surface, and rinsing the detergent composition from the article.